The New York Times’ Book of New York: Stories of the People, the Streets, and the Life of the City Past and Present

This unique volume uncovers the most fascinating and compelling stories from The New York Times about the city the paper calls home.

More than 200 articles and an abundance of photographs, illustrations, maps, and graphs from the preeminent newspaper in the world take a look at the history and personality of the world’s most influential city. Read firsthand accounts of the subway opening in 1904 and the day the Metrocard was introduced; the fall of Tammany Hall and recurring corruption in city politics; the Son of Sam murders; jazz clubs in the 1920s and legendary performances at the Fillmore East; baseball’s Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier at Brooklyn’s storied Ebbets Field in 1947; the 1977 and 2004 blackouts; the openin

3 Responses to “The New York Times’ Book of New York: Stories of the People, the Streets, and the Life of the City Past and Present”

This review is from: The New York Times’ Book of New York: Stories of the People, the Streets, and the Life of the City Past and Present (Hardcover)

A “must” for those who love, appreciate, are amused by or are just fascinated with New York, the greatest city in the world, the Big Apple. (In the interest of full disclosure this is coming from an unabashed New York lover, it’s excitement, its energy, its everything-ness…)

Stories of New York told as only the New York Times could tell them. Who, after all, knows the city better than the Times? And who is better able to tell the story than the NY Times?

Photos, articles and essays, all kinds of comments and perspecitives, all worthy of the the greatest city in the world.

This review is from: The New York Times’ Book of New York: Stories of the People, the Streets, and the Life of the City Past and Present (Hardcover)

The New York Times Book Of New York is a bit too ambitious for its own good. It begins with “A Note To Readers” written by the editor, James Barron. He writes, “Even in a book as thick as this one turned out to be, the available space was limited, and we had to give many of the stories a trim–but not, we believe, a buzz cut.”

Unfortunately, readers will walk away feeling as if a buzz cut was exactly what the articles were given. They will be frustrated because they won’t understand why it was done that way. Why, instead of including fewer articles(and printing them at their full length) did Barron choose to print so many articles? Barron provides no answer in his “Note To Readers.” That is unfortunate, because readers will feel hungry for more after finishing this book, but not in a good way.

Some better alternatives are “New York Stories: The Best of the City Section of The New York Times,” which is edited by Constance Rosenblum, or “City Lights: Stories About New York” by Dan Barry.

This review is from: The New York Times’ Book of New York: Stories of the People, the Streets, and the Life of the City Past and Present (Hardcover)

I am so glad I purchased this book. It has such good information and stories…I really enjoyed reading it. A thorough and interesting history of all the things that make the city so fascinating. A perfect gift for someone who has a soft spot for the Big Apple.